The ZENDO PROJECT Psychedelic Peer Support
This year, millions of people will use psychedelics outside of supervised medical contexts, many of them for the first time. Many psychedelic users are unprepared to tend to a psychedelic-induced difficult experience if one were to arise. As part of our efforts to minimize harm related to the non-medical use of psychedelics, on this page we provide advice for helping someone having a difficult psychedelic experience.
It is not uncommon for psychedelic users to have difficult psychedelic experiences. This is most likely to happen with first-time users, especially with high doses and without adequate preparation or guidance. These experiences are sometimes called “bad trips.”
A difficult psychedelic experience is not necessarily a bad one. With proper preparation and understanding, it is possible to help a person having a difficult experience to receive the most benefit from it. Difficult psychedelic experiences can be frightening, but also among the most valuable experiences someone can have. Difficult psychedelic experiences can be the result of external factors, such as a chaotic environment or traumatic events, or the result of painful or troubling emotions that arise during the experience.
By working with these experiences, rather than trying to “talk someone down,” together the sitter and the psychedelic user can make a difficult psychedelic experience a chance for personal growth.
You can support the Zendo project—donate.
Follow the Zendo Project on Facebook
Four Important Principles of Psychedelic Harm Reduction
- Create a safe space
- Sitting, not guiding
- Talk through, not down
- Difficult is not the same as bad
WPD 6·20 supports these principals and intentions, while working towards a new and serious consideration of psychedelics, our mission is to bring awareness and to educate responsibly.
For a lot more information, please see the Zendo Project
or…
FIRESIDE PROJECT
LIVE PSYCHEDELIC PEER SUPPORT LINE
(Note: goes live April 14, 2021)
Put the number in your phone: 6-2FIRESIDE +1 (623) 473-7433
During the 12-month pilot program, the line will be open Thursday to Sunday, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. PST and Monday from 3:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PST. It will eventually be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
KNOW MORE …
Written by Mark Haden, 10-year Director of MAPS Canada, this exceptional manual is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn how to most effectively be with a person who has chosen to take a psychedelic journey. If you are purchasing from outside of Canada you can find it here and if you are purchasing from Vancouver, you might also find a copy here.
KnowDrugs is an easy way to lookup drug testing results, pill warnings and drug alerts and provides you with drug info about more than 200 drugs, along with advice on harm reduction and safer use. Taking drugs always involves risks – however, if you do decide to take drugs, KnowDrugs can help you to take appropriate measures to reduce potential harms.
Erowid’s online library contains over 63,000 documents related to over 737 psychoactive substances, including images, research summaries and abstracts, FAQs, media articles, experience reports, information on chemistry, dosage, effects, law, health, traditional and spiritual use, and drug testing.
PsychonautWiki is a community-driven online encyclopedia that aims to document the emerging field of psychonautics in a comprehensive, scientifically-grounded manner. Our primary motivations include:
- documenting all aspects of psychonautic theory and practice (including meditation, lucid dreaming, psychoactive substance use, sensory deprivation, ritual, etc.) from an evidence-based, academic perspective
- providing accessible education, encouraging safe practices, and reforming cultural taboos around the responsible use of psychoactive substances, using both expert and crowd-sourcing methods
- promoting a culture of free thought and personal autonomy by safeguarding the information needed to make informed decisions over altering one’s body and consciousness.
SAFETY AND LEGALITIES
The information on this website should not be construed as advocating for the use of psychedelic substances outside of the context of legally sanctioned environments with appropriate supervision. International Psychedelics Awareness Foundation assumes no responsibility for any physical, psychological, legal or any other consequences from the use of these substances.